Ceramic heads everywhere
If you’ve been to Sicily, you've definitely seen these peculiar ceramic heads! They are everywhere - decorating buildings and balconies, used as sculptures and flower pots, looking at the people from the windows of souvenir or ceramics shops. Some of them - those created with artistry and beautifully decorated - may be considered true works of art! White and black, male and female, bigger and smaller... Moorish heads are very common in Sicily. As a very characteristic piece of art, they somehow become one of unofficial symbols of the island. But what do they actually symbolize? What is the legend hidden behind the Moorish head? There are several versions of the story, so I decided to choose the most interesting one that I’ve heard, and describe it for you.
Legend about a Moorish man and a beautiful girl
Long time ago, in the kalsa district in the city of Palermo, once lived a beautiful girl who used to often take care of her plants on the balcony. One day, a young and charming Moor passed near her house and fell in love with her immediately. In the following months he was a daily guest under her balcony, slowly fighting his way to the girl's heart. She finally fell in love with him, but she had warned him that if he ever betrayed her, she would kill him. The days passed by and the two lovers were as happy as only two young people in love may be. But one day the young girl discovered that her charming Moor deceived her!
She found out that he had a wife and children waiting for him in the Far East. With a broken heart, in the attack of pain, anger and jealousy, the girl killed the man when he was sleeping and cut his head off. She then opened the skull from the top, cleared it and planted herbs and flowers inside, like in other pots on the balcony. That way, the preserved head of her Moorish lover was supposed to stay with her forever. New plants grew amazingly well…
The bypassers were always envious of the flowers and herbs on the girl’s balcony, but since she put her handsome lover’s head outside - full of well-growing, aromatic basil - they started to be envious also about her special pot. Some of them, who knew the story, made ceramic vases depicting the head of the Moor, and put them on their balconies as a warning against infidelity. Thus, the symbol of the Moor's head has spread quickly throughout Sicily, taking on new forms and variations with time.